Interpreting software

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 8:13 am

Anybody know of any information avaiable regarding interpretation of the data from the Puritan Bennett silverlining software?

I would like to understand exactly what all that data means. So far I'm able to make my own guesses, but would like to have some better understanding.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:50 pm

Dunno, Wader. All I ever looked at regularly was the "Synthesis" session report for the most recent night, and then I'd go to "Detailed" and magnify the 96 hour graph. That gave me everything I wanted to know. If you ever run across anything that explains all the bells and whistles, do let me know.

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 9:47 pm

Hi R G,

Maybe you can clarify something for me. I read about users who write about how they had an AHI of say 57 and now that they are using cpap their software shows it's down to say 8. How do they know this from the software. The way I interpret the data I see is that the "events" shown on my graph are the ones being handled by my machine. That's all of them, not just the ones left over after the cpap took care of the rest. Seems the sotware is usless if it does not show what it is fixing. Am I right?

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:41 pm

Wader, I don't know this for sure, but my take on it is the same as yours - that the events which actually show up on the data report are events (apneas, hypopneas, etc.) that the machine saw happening (or thought it saw happening) and dealt with. I assume those are events that sneaked through and caused the machine to take action to clear them. The rest of the time the pressure being used is sufficient to prevent events.

I suppose when we see pressure fluctuations without an event having been marked, the machine was sensing some changes in breathing and took preventive action - stopping the situation from developing on into an "event"...thus no mark at that point.

With the SL3 software, I've never found a place that states plainly: "AHI = number". To get the AHI, we have to add the number of apneas and hypopneas together - leave out the other things like limited flows or acoustical vibrations (snores). Divide the total number of apneas and hypopneas by the number of hours slept. That gives the "AHI". You'd think the SL3 software would do that simple math for us and present an AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index) number somewhere on the Session report, but it doesn't.

The Encore Pro software does state the "AHI". The two software packages (Silverlining 3 for the 420E Autopap and Encore Pro for the Respironics REMstar Auto) each have their own strengths. Except for the missing simple "AHI" number, I think the SL3 software is much better - just my personal preference. I hate math, but doing the math myself to figure the AHI is a minor inconvenience compared to the beautiful convenience of being able to look at that informative 96 hour graph in SL3. I really miss seeing that graph in the Encore Pro software. One can compare nights in Encore Pro, but not as easily or as comprehensively, imho, as one can by scrolling left and right through the SL3's 96 hour graph.